Odor Removing Toilet

ABSTRACT

The odor removing toilet fixture has fully integrated exhaust ventilation for removing odors from the toilet bowl and surrounding areas while maintaining the same fit, form, and function of non-ventilated toilet fixtures for easy retrofit in homes and buildings. The fixture also incorporates two valves for controlling both water and airflow during operation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent 61/709,278 filed Oct. 3, 2012 herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to toilets having fully integrated exhaust ventilation for removing odors from the toilet bowl and surrounding areas. Unlike prior art, the toilet of this invention maintains the same fit, form, and function of non-ventilated toilet fixtures for easy retrofit in homes and buildings and also incorporates two valves for controlling both water and airflow during operation of the toilet fixture.

Mechanical building codes require bathroom ventilation. Where toilet rooms and bathrooms are mechanically ventilated, exhaust air from bathrooms and toilet rooms cannot be re-circulated within a residence or to another dwelling unit and must be exhausted directly to the outdoors. Exhaust air from bathrooms and toilet rooms cannot discharge into an attic, crawl space or other areas inside the building. Bathroom ventilation systems must be designed to have the capacity to exhaust the minimum air flow rate of 50 cfm intermittent or 20 cfm continuous.

In many bathrooms the vent fan is relied on to remove odors but usually fails since there are many drafts in the room that interfere and draw odor into other parts of the house or building.

There is a need for improved local toilet ventilation that exhausts odors outdoors precluding the need for additional bathroom ventilation generally located in ceilings. The most effective ventilation is done at the source of the odor, the toilet bowl. Exhausting toilet and bathroom odors via sewer vents using open surface tank ventilation design standards at the toilet bowl is invented herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a toilet which removes gases from the bowl area and dispenses them through a p-trap.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the foregoing and other objects are achieved by an odor removing toilet having a bowl with a drain channel that extends from the bowl, the bowl and the drain channel having a P-trap, the P-trap further having a tube penetration to exhaust odorous airflow into the sewer system. The bowl has an upper rim with an upper rim duct that communicates with the bowl by a plurality of discharge openings. A water tank disposed above the bowl has an aperture in communication with the upper rim duct. A flush valve (4) activated by a flush handle (7) is located in the water tank and covering the aperture, the flush valve has a flapper assembly (5), an overflow tube (11), and an inner tube concentric with the overflow tube (6). A magnetic flap door hinge valve and/or a water triggered counter weighted valve are disposed in the inner tube that is communicating with the P-trap. A fan in-line with the inner tube has a timer switch that operates the blower fan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the odor removing toilet showing mechanical and electrical parts.

FIG. 2 shows more detail of the flush valve, overflow tube, and valves.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The odor removing toilet removes odor from the toilet bowl and discharges the odor into the drain side of the P-trap where it is expelled through the vent piping of the plumbing system. A magnetic flap door hinge valve and/or a counter weighted hinge valve prevents backflow of sewer gas into the toilet bowl. Also, a water triggered counter weighted valve prevents air from entering the p-trap thereby causing a partial flush.

The invention has been described with reference to the various figures forming an integral non-limiting component of the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the odor removing process starts by turning on the switch (17). The switch is optionally, and preferably, a timer switch installed in the tank lid to prevent unnecessary wear on the motor due to the device being left on unintentionally. The odor begins in the bowl (1) where it exhausts through the discharge openings (2) located in the upper rim of the bowl (1). The odor then continues through drain channel (3), which leads into the tank, where it is drawn up an overflow tube (11) into the top portion of the water tank and into the blower fan (8). The blower fan power source (18) can be batteries, AC utility power, and DC utility power with appropriate wiring (19).

Leaving the fan, the odor is forced through two valves that are located in an inner tube (6) that leads to the P-trap (16). The first of the two valves is the magnetic flap door hinge valve and/or a counter weighted flap door hinge valve (10) that is pushed open by air pressure from the fan (8). The second valve is the water triggered valve (12). The water triggered valve (12) is normally open except when the toilet is flushed by the flapper assembly (5) allowing water to enter the reservoir tube (13) thereby closing the water triggered valve (12). The reservoir (13) fills with water and briefly triggers the water triggered valve (12) door to close until the water drains out of the reservoir (13) through the leak hole (14) located on the side. After the odor is forced through the two valves, the odor continues through the inner tube (6) that discharges through a tube (15) into the sewer through a tube penetration (20) in the P-trap (16). After flushing the water is replenished by a refill tube (9).

EXAMPLE: A typical toilet bowl has an oval or round opening that is approximately 11 inches in diameter translating to about 0.66 sq. ft. of open surface area. For capturing low-hazard gas and vapor from room temperature liquids in open surface free standing tanks having a semi-lateral exhaust hood around the tank perimeter, the required minimum control velocity is 50 feet per minute (fpm). The minimum hood airflow rate for this design is 110 cfm/sq. ft. which translates to an exhaust airflow rate of ˜75 cubic feet per minute (cfm), slightly higher than the 50 cfm intermittent minimum building code requirement. Each toilet has a blower fan (8) exhausting 75 cfm of air through the inner tube and into existing sewer piping/vents that exhaust through the roof.

A small centrifugal blower fan manufactured by Servo, model E1540H12B7AZ-00, disposed in the top, dry portion of the toilet tank, exhausts 71 cfm at 1.73 inches external static pressure. The timer switch energizes the fan for a set time period to exhaust each toilet fixture during and after use. The local exhaust will prevent most odor from escaping the toilet bowl while exhausting bathroom air from surrounding areas.

This invention can easily replace toilets in existing bathroom facilities to solve ventilation problems and more effectively remove odors. A particular advantage of the invention is the ability to retrofit existing toilets to accommodate the invention described herein.

While there has been shown and described what are at present considered the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope. 

1. A toilet, comprising: a) a bowl having a drain channel that extends from the bowl, the bowl having an upper rim and the drain channel having a P-trap, the P-trap further having a tube penetration; b) the upper rim having an upper rim duct that communicates with the bowl by a plurality of discharge openings; c) a water tank disposed above the bowl, the tank having an aperture that is in communication with the upper rim duct; d) a flush valve disposed in the water tank and covering the aperture, the flush valve comprising a flapper assembly, an overflow tube, and an inner tube concentric with the overflow tube; e) a magnetic or counter weighted flap door hinge valve and a water triggered valve disposed in the inner tube, the inner tube communicating with the P-trap through the tube penetration; f) a blower fan in-line with the inner tube.
 2. The toilet of claim 1 wherein the blower fan further comprises a timer switch.
 3. The toilet of claim 1 wherein the blower fan power source is selected from the group consisting of batteries, AC utility power, and DC utility power.
 4. The toilet of claim 1 wherein the blower fan is a centrifugal blower. 